Robin
Sharma shares the story of a tree in his backyard that did not
appear to be flourishing; it had no leaves, it looked frail and
wasn’t getting taller.
Sharma assumed it was dead but then something spectacular happened.
One day he noticed it starting to yield stunningly beautiful little flowers on its almost instantly firm branches. It grew higher than every other tree around it. And it offered
Sharma the most coverage of any tree on his expansive property.
The leadership message?
Strong roots eventually yield great success.
The bottom line: while the naked eye suggested the tree
wasn’t growing, in truth, it was REALLY growing beneath the soil where the root system was becoming extensive to
anchor the tree and allow it to absorb water and nutrients from the soil. The growth was below ground, establishing its
foundation, ensuring its roots were strong and its base was secure.
And once it was done, it outperformed every tree around it. Sharma reminds us that he needed to measure the
tree’s roots when he was doubting the tree’s growth,
not the tree’s height.
This is a perfect metaphor for what the growth and development process can look like in our own lives. Slow. Steady. Beneath the surface.
This is what our coaching program does for your organization. Some of the changes you will see in your associates will be obvious and immediate. Yet some of the other deeper, foundational changes will be more gradual.
We work with you to build that foundation and give each high quality employee a stronger base and anchoring for better performance; the underpinnings of an evolving culture. But we need to be clear. This doesn't happen overnight - growing the root system takes time...creating the foundation is a deliberate process.
Breathing life into a leader’s vision is also a deliberate process that takes time. Leadership experts warn us that it will be all too easy for some leaders to lose sight of their vision and instead focus on circumstances (budget cuts, details of what is going wrong, the “WHAT” and the “HOW” of running their business.)
They warn leaders to keep their FOCUS on the
“WHY” of their business and vision. They warn leaders to never forget that their people are their greatest asset and leaders that know this invest in their high-quality people.
Talent without practice yields no results. But practice takes time and enormous
commitment.
Catney!
